1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for arranging and stacking cigarettes, which every time arranges cigarettes side by side to form a plurality cigarette layers each consisting of a predetermined number of cigarettes, for example, three cigarette layers consisting of the lower layer of seven cigarettes, the intermediate layer of six cigarettes and the upper layer of seven cigarettes; which each time piles the cigarette layers on one after another in a staggered manner to form a cigarette stack consisting of a predetermined cigarette layers, for example, a cigarette stack consisting of the above-mentioned three layers including twenty cigarettes in total; and which transfers the cigarette stack to a packing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a cigarette wrapping system, there has been used a cigarette piling apparatus which arranges, side by side, cigarettes to form a plurality of cigarette layers, the total number of cigarettes of the cigarette layers being equal to the number of cigarettes in a cigarette package, and which piles these cigarette layers on one after another to form a cigarette stack. For example, the apparatus arranges seven, six and seven cigarettes side by side as separate layers and piles them in a staggered manner to form a cigarette stack consisting of the three cigarette layers. The cigarette stack is transferred to a wrapping device to be packed.
There are several types of packing apparatuses. In the recent packing apparatus, a plurality of drums are radially arranged so as to be adjacent to each other, a plurality of heads for holding piled cigarettes are provided on each drum. The drums are rotated synchronously and cigarettes whose number corresponds to the number of cigarettes in a cigarette package are transferred as a cigarette stack to each head. While the cigarette stack is being transferred between the adjacent heads, a wrapping sheet is supplied between the heads and the cigarette stack is wrapped with the wrapping sheet. When the cigarette head is transferred to the following head of the drum, the wrapping sheet is folded. In this way, a series of wrapping processes are performed while the cigarette stack is transferred from the first head to the last head of the drum.
In the packing apparatus, the heads of the drum make a predetermined swing in order to facilitate the transfer of the cigarette stack. Specifically, the heads of a pair of adjacent drums swing so that they face each other as they approach each other. When the heads approach each other, the cigarette stack is transferred from one of the head to the other head.
Since the heads make complicated swing motion, the mechanism for transferring a cigarette stack between the heads is also complicated. Thus, it is difficult to unite the cigarette piling device with the packing device to form a wrapping apparatus of a unitary structure. Even if such wrapping apparatus were obtained, it is anticipated that it could be operated at a high speed.
The cigarette stacks each consisting of twenty cigarettes, for example, are not held and thus lose their shape very easily. This becomes a factor of hindering a high speed operation of the apparatus.